As Maharashtra gears up for its Assembly elections, a familiar ritual unfolds: grand proclamations aimed at wooing key voter blocs. The state cabinet, under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, recently made sweeping promises designed to boost its electoral fortunes. Yet, such gestures beg the perennial question: are these pre-election pledges fulfilled once the ballots are cast?
The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP-led Mahayuti government is making sweeping promises, from raising the income limit for the OBC ‘non-creamy layer’ to increasing Madrassa teachers’ salaries. The proposed income ceiling jump from Rs. 8 lakh to Rs.15 lakh would extend reservation benefits to more OBC families. While it seems like a step towards uplifting weaker sections, implementing this solely for Maharashtra without similar changes in other states raises questions about its financial feasibility.
Beyond the OBC vote bank, the government has also turned its attention to the minority community, particularly Madrassa teachers. Their salaries were significantly raised, accompanied by an emphasis on the modernization of religious schools. While integrating modern education into Madrassas through the Dr. Zakir Hussain Madarsa Modernisation Scheme may be an admirable goal, the timing is telling. The cabinet also bolstered investment for the Maulana Azad Minority Financial Development Corporation. Additionally, welfare co-operative boards were announced for several other communities, with capital investments of Rs. 50 crore each. Given that the minorities voted against the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha election, such initiatives are part of a broader strategy to court them.
Then, there is the draft ordinance to grant constitutional status to the Maharashtra State Scheduled Caste Commission. While this may appear as a genuine step toward safeguarding the interests of Scheduled Caste communities, one must ask why such measures surface only in the months leading up to elections.
Maharashtra’s electoral history is replete with examples of grand pre-election proclamations that either fell short of implementation, or were not implemented as swiftly as promised.
At the time of the 2004 Assembly election, the Congress-NCP alliance, led by Sushilkumar Shinde, promised sweeping loan waivers to address rural distress. Ahead of the 2019 election, the BJP-Sena government expanded the Shiv Bhojan Thali, a subsidized meal program for the poor. While initially implemented, its reach was criticized due to inadequate infrastructure and inconsistent supply.
These examples underscore that big announcements are part of a well-worn electoral strategy, a pattern where parties make bold pledges to key voting blocs just before the elections, only to let those promises languish in bureaucratic limbo or become diluted after power is secured. Will this time be any different?
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